Improvement in photographic-plate holders



I. W. TABER & T. H. BOYD.

Photographic-PlateHolders.

Patented Jan. 19, 1875.

Vitn'esses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAIAH W. TABER AND THOMAS H. BOYD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHlC-PLA'l'E HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,872, dated January 19, 1875; application filed December 3, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that we, Isnmn W. TABER and THOMAS H. BOYD, of San Francisco city and county, State of California, have invented an Improved Photographic-Plate Holder; and we do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use our said invention or improvement without further invention or experiment. ()ur improvement in plate-holders consists 1n a novel arrangement by which we are able to employ only two pieces inside of the plateholder frame, instead of the large number of pieces usually employed, in order to accommodate the different sizes of plates, and adjust them to the center of the plate-holder frames.

In order to explain our invention, so that others will understand its exact construction and operation, reference is had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our device. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged views of parts of our holder.

Let A represent the plate-holder frame, and B the door which closes one of its sides. Along the inside edge of each side rail of the plateholder frame we secure a slat or narrow rail, (J, and in these rails or slats we make notches d, opposite each other, as shown.

If desired, the slats 0 may be formed on the lnner edge of the side rails of the frame by allowing the side rails to project slightly inside of the box; or small blocks can be secured to the rail so as to leave spaces between them, the object being to provide a number of notches opposite to each other upon each side of the frame.

The lower piece, which we use instead of the frame, consists of a receptacle or tray, E. This receptacle is just long enough to extend across nside of the frame, and has a ledge or proection, f, inside of it at each end, near its top, upon which the cover 9 rests.

This cover extends across inside of the tray, and has two or more transverse ribs, o', on its upper side, near each end, which serve as a bearing for the lower edge of the glass plates.

The open top of the tray above this cover forms a gutter to receive the base or lower edge of the plate, and the inside upper edge of this gutter or tray is rounded or beveled to prevent the silver drippings from the plate from running outside of the tray.

A short lug, 0, projects from each upper outside corner of the receptacle or tray, and these lugs are adapted to fit in the notches d, so that the tray may be adjusted up or down, as desired, by changing the lugs into the different notches.

In the present instance we have represented a groove, j, back of the rails G, in which short journals, K, on the lower rear corner of the tray move.

These grooves serve merely to guide the tray when moving it up or down, and to provide an extra support; but they can be dispensed with without materially interfering with our present arrangement.

When we do use these grooves, we cut the middle notches, cl, of each side rail entirely through the rails, so that they will permit the journals K to pass through from the outside into the grooves.

The upper piece, L, consists of the two corner-pieces, united together by a rod or bar, so that they form a single piece. These corners are provided with lugs O and short journals K, similar to the lugs O and journals K on the tray, so that they can be adjusted up and down in the notches and grooves in a similar manner.

It will thus be evident that we can accommodate the various sizes'of lass plates by adjusting the tray and corners to or from each other, according to the size of the plates. The lower edge of the glass plate will rest on the transverse ribs i of the tray-cover inside of the gutter, and the curved or bevel edge of the tray will prevent the drippings from getting out side of the tray. The upper piece or corners receive the corners of the plate in the usual way.

Instead of employing the adjustable cornerpieces, simple buttons, or other permanent clamping device attached to the sides of the plate-holder, could be used to sustain the upper part of the plate, while the lower part or receptacle only need be adjust-able up and down.

e thus provide an exceedingly simple and cheap arrangement for holding the negative plate, and receiving the drippings of silver, while the pieces can be readily adjusted to the various sizes of plates.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The photographic -plate holder frame A, provided with notches d on the inner edges of its side rails, in combination with the tray or receptacle E, with its lugs O, and connected corner-pieces L, with their lugs O, substan tially as and for the purpose above described.

In witness whereof we hereunto set our hands and seals.

ISAIAH XV. TABER. [L. 5.] THOMAS H. BOYD. [L. 8.]

Witnesses:

JNo. L. BOONE, O. M. RICHARDSON. 

